Paula Deen restaurant at center of racism scandal closes

The Savannah, Ga. restaurant that was at the center of Paula Deen’s racism scandal last year, Uncle Bubba’s Seafood & Oyster House, is now closed for good. Employees and customers are now venting on the restaurant’s Facebook page, as the owners never told the employees before posting the news on Facebook.

Uncle Bubba’s was owned by Earl W. "Bubba" Hiers Jr., Deen’s brother. Deen was accused by a former employee of the restaurant of using racial slurs. Although the lawsuit was later dismissed, it left Deen’s empire in crumbles and she is still trying to rebuild.

But her family will have to move on without Uncle Bubba’s. The restaurant announced on Facebook today that it is closing, saying simply, “Thank you for 10 great years. Uncle Bubba's is now closed.” According to TMZ, employees were not told that the place was closing. They arrived at work today to see the signs removed and that was it.

Savannah Now reports that the PR firm Key Group later issued a statement on Heirs’ behalf.

“...The restaurant’s owner and operator, Bubba Hiers, has made the decision to close the restaurant in order to explore development options for the waterfront property on which the restaurant is located,” the statement reads. “At this point, no specific plans have been announced and a range of uses are under consideration in order to realize the highest and best use for the property.”

Key Group explained that the former employees will get severance pay. “All effort will be made to find employees comparable employment with other Savannah restaurant organizations.”